NIGHT OF THE WERE-CAT by WATKINS EILEEN

Author:WATKINS, EILEEN [WATKINS, EILEEN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2022-02-22T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

One reason Mark and I generally planned our date nights for Saturdays was because he often got stuck late at the clinic on Fridays. That evening, for example, he sent me a quick text around six-thirty that he had an emergency surgery and didn’t know when he’d be finished. Call U as soon as I can, he promised.

Resigned to such setbacks, I ate a simple dinner on my own. I played with my own cats for a while, then settled in to watch a mindless sitcom. My calico, Matisse, promptly claimed my lap, while black Cole settled for ramming himself up against my hip as closely as possible. I felt sorry for elderly Mango, who had to balance on the arm of the sofa to get close. Surrounded on all sides, I got the message that they hadn’t seen enough of me lately and thought I was spending way too much time fussing over other people’s cats.

“The shoemaker’s children go barefoot, eh?” I asked aloud, while trying to spread my affection evenly among them. In rhythm with their purrs, I started to breathe easily for the first time in days. This low-key evening felt welcome, especially after the stresses of the night before.

Around nine, Mark finally phoned. He explained that he’d been operating on a cocker spaniel that had gotten loose from someone’s yard, was hit by a car, and suffered a broken leg. “It was pretty shattered, but I finally managed to pin everything back together,” he said. “I’m going to hang around here, though, until our new night-shift guy comes on. I want to brief him on what to watch out for.” After a beat, he added, “With the dog, I mean.”

Yes, that needed clarifying, in light of what had happened to Sam, the old night-shift guy. “You’re alone over there?”

“The tech who was assisting me is still here, but she’s getting ready to split. Someone’s got to stay and keep an eye on the cocker. He’s still coming out of anesthesia.”

“I know, but . . .” Usually Mark was the one warning me not to take chances; now, for a moment, the shoe was on the other foot. If someone could get the drop on a savvy guy like Sam, they might find a way to overpower Mark, too. Especially if they had a gun.

“I’ll be fine, Cassie, really,” he assured me. “Ever since the robbery, there’s been a patrol car cruising past the clinic every hour or so. And all of us stay on the alert, too.”

“Please do,” I said.

“Speaking of that, someone told me they heard there was a drug bust last night at The Roost. You and Dawn wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, would you?”

“As a matter of fact, we did.” I gave him a capsule version of the story, though. I just said that I spotted a guy putting something in a woman’s drink and called the plainclothes officer on the scene, who had followed up.

“Hey, that’s terrific!” For once, my boyfriend sounded simply proud of me, instead of also worried.

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